Let the fate decide
by Pas de place pour l'ignorance
Summary: What happens when Elena Gilbert has to face her old life in Mystic Falls and write a story about the man who she once loved. Will Elena get a perfect article or will she get her heart broken by Damon Salvatore like 5 years ago? Delena. This story is now completed. Thank you for reading!
1. Too much

_〜〜 Too much 〜〜_

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><p>If you had to choose between the love of your life and your family, which one would you pick? The man who has promised to love you no matter what or the family who has made you the person you are now? Who should I believe? I made the wrong choice.<p>

I picked my family.

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><p>Elena Gilbert found herself behind a small, light coloured office desk. On that desk she had her old but loyal MacBook, a take out coffee from Starbucks, bunch of pens and notebooks, papers covering almost the entire desk I front of her. She sighed and pushed her chair back standing up from the white chair. She grabbed her black bag, slung it over her shoulder and started to make her way out of the tiny, depressing room. She glanced at her reflection from the big mirror on the wall before exiting. She was wearing black tight pencil skirt, violet blouse and black jacket with black high heels and small fake diamond earrings. Her hair had grown really long and it was curly and cascading down her back. She let out a small noise of approving and left her room locking it from the outside.<p>

"Hey Elena Gilbert!" She heard someone yell. She turned around on her heels and saw Steven Collins. A man on his late thirties, who was wearing an old shaggy Christmas sweatshirt and holey black pants; he was the odd one in the office. He was same height as Elena and always had a joyful smile on his thin lips.

"Yes, can I help you with something, Collins?" Elena asked smiling politely at the strange man.

"Boss said she wants to see you in her office. She said it's important." He told her his voice shaking a bit. According to Juliet, Elena's friend who worked at the reception desk, he had a thing for her.

"Okay, thank you!" Elena answered as she turned around the corner.

"Hey! Be careful, she's at it again," Steven added smiling awkwardly before stepping into his own office.

"_Super great" _She thought as she put on a big fake smile before stepping into the dragon's cave a.k.a. the office of the editor in chief.

Marie Newton was about 50 years old, her partly grey hair was always pulled back to a neat bun and her glasses always matched her shoes. She was known for her fashion sense, which never disappointed anyone. Her glassy brown eyes reached Elena as soon as she pushed the door open.

"Elena darling, you came" Marie said sipping an almost empty glass of red wine. She looked a bit tipsy even though it was only 5pm. "I have found you a perfect story!" She said pouring herself another rather full glass of wine. "It's in Mystic Falls! Your hometown! Isn't in lovely how small the world can be?" She asked gulping down the red liquid. Elena's eyes widened as she heard the news.

"Oh… What is it about?" She asked playing with her curl looking quite nervous. "There is nothing interesting in that place, you know, Mrs Newton." She continued sitting down to the massive wooden chair in front of her boss.

"This one gentleman has opened a brand new Italian restaurant there, which has the best food in the world according to my niece who recently travelled across the country. There will be a food special soon in our magazine and I believe that this restaurant has a lot of potential to become the main part of the issue. Imagine, that small town of yours could easily become the Mekka of food lovers" She replied placing the glass down to her desk.

"Yeah… Are you sure that I am the right person for this one, Mrs Newton? I know nothing about food and I'm not used to writing about it either"

"I am absolutely sure about this, sweetie! The owner told one of our reporters that he will not give any interviews to random people. Such a strange thing I may say… I'd be delighted to have a story written about my company if I were him." She said grapping a silver flask from her drawer and pouring it to the wine glass. "Just something to spice this up a little" she told Elena when she saw her face. "Vodka makes everything better. It's like a gift from lord himself" She said taking a sip and leaning deeper to her white leather armchair, holding the glass by her forehead feeling the coldness of the glass on her skin.

"Umm, Mrs Newton. Who is this owner you are talking about? He sounds pompous but I might know him. I know, well knew, almost everyone around there," Elena asked smiling awkwardly.

"That was just what I was thinking about! It was Dillon… no, Devon. Oh it wasn't. Let me check" she said opening a big white notebook of hers. "Damon. His name is Damon. Sal… Salva… I think I need my glasses…" She said going through her drawers.

"No need, Mrs Newton, its Salvatore. Damon Salvatore, I believe" Elena said running her fingers through her fringe._ "I need a drink," _she thought as she picked up a clean glass from the desk, pouring it full of every girl's best friend, vodka. _"Oh boy…"_

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><p><em><strong>AN**_

__So yeah, this is the start of my new story and I hope you like it.  
>I'm not sure how often I'll update this because I'm really busy with school but I'll try my best.<p>

xx


	2. Breaking inside

**Chapter 2: Breaking inside**

_〜〜 __Breaking inside __〜〜_

Elena tried everything to get her boss Marie Newton to change her mind about sending Elena back to Mystic Falls. Hell, she even tried to bribe her with a bottle of old scotch she had in her apartment! It didn't help. Just in few hours Elena was sent home to start arranging her trip and pack her luggage.

Elena reached the lobby of the apartment complex she lived in. Her hand found the button of the elevator and soon after pressing it the doors opened and Elena stepped in. _"Thank god it's empty!"_ she thought as she pushed the button of the 5th floor. She didn't feel like being in such a small room with someone while she was having a mental breakdown just because of her stupid alcoholic boss who only cared about her stupid lifestyle magazine. Elena tried to push the anger out of her mind as she rummaged her bag to find keys for her apartment.

"Damn it!" She cursed as she dropped the keys as the door opened. She picked them up and tried to find the right key from the bunch. Eventually she found the right one and unlocked the door stepping in and throwing her bag to the floor and falling to her sofa. Her cat Charlie jumped on her back and purred heart-warmingly.

"Oh Charlie!" She sighed as she turned around and caught the small animal into her arms. "We need to leave in two days. Momma has to go home and write an article about this one man who once broke Momma's heart to million pieces when Momma was younger" She said as she patted the cat. It meowed and jumped from her lap. "Fine, you leave me too" she said burying her face into the black décor pillow on her divan.

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><p>Elena had fallen asleep for several hours. She woke up at 10pm and cursed under her breath. She hated taking naps, because it makes it harder to sleep during night. She stood up walking to her bedroom to change her now wrinkly clothes to short shorts and tank top and to have a lovely bath.<p>

After the relaxing moment she spent in her bathtub, she sat on the floor by her wardrobe. She hated packing because she always left something essential home and packed too much unnecessary clothes. She never had the time to wear them all. She pulled her big floral suitcase from under her bed and zipped it open. She took some time to decide what to pack with her and soon enough she had her luggage zipped up and ready for the flight on Monday. She left the room and poured some new water for Charlie and went to bed after brushing her teeth.

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><p>Next morning Elena woke up and stretched her sore arms. They were still aching from the first time she had gone to the gym for two years. She never had enough time or patience to stretch. She slipped on her bunny slippers she had gotten from Jules last Christmas and walked to the living room to see she had a missed call on her answering machine. She pressed the small blue button and listened.<p>

"Hi Elena! This is Marie. I am sorry if I acted unprofessionally last night. It wasn't like me to drink like that"

"_Yeah right"_ Elena thought.

"I just called to say that I have your flight booked for you. The departure is on Monday. I can't remember the exact time but I've emailed it to you. I hope you have great time there and write a marvellous story, could you? See you when you get back!" Marie's high voice finished as Elena hit the delete button. She sighed and picked up her phone. She dialled a number she thought she'd never dial again. She placed to phone to her ear and took a deep breath.

"John Gilbert," answered a deep voice.

"Dad, it's me," Elena answered slowly.

"Elena? Is this you?" John asked sounding happy.

"Yes. I'm coming home."

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><p>One way too long and awkward phone call later Elena felt really tired even though she had just woken up. She sank to her sofa and tried to decide if she could call Damon or not. <em>"I don't want to. I can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Lying is part of his nature. I can't believe how easily he tricked me to fall for him." <em>Elena thought as she got up and changed to sportier attire and headed out for a run.

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><p>Elena had been running around some park for half an hour non-stop trying to clear her thoughts without success. She felt a lump in her throat but she tried her best to ignore it. Eventually her speed dropped and she had to lean to her knees to even her breathing. She had to get home.<p>

On her way back she ran into the uncle of her old friend Tyler Lockwood. His uncle Mason was tall and had pair of the broadest shoulders she had ever seen. She wasn't sure if Mason Lockwood still remembered her but decided to give a shot.

"Mason! It's been so long! 5 years at least!" Elena said as she fixed her ponytail smiling widely.

"Elena Gilbert? Is that you? Oh wow, years have definitely been nicer to you than me" he answered laughing and looking her up and down.

"Pfft!" She snorted and punched his arm playfully. "How are you and Tyler?" Elena asked smiling.

"I've never felt better to be honest and Tyler is doing well too. In fact he bought the Grill with that Donovan bloke. The business is going well ever since they built the nightclub to the basement," Mason answered.

"Oh really? I've been away for so long that I haven't heard about that. Great to hear that life's been good for you guys." Elena replied. Caroline surely had some things to explain why she hadn't kept her updated.

"Yeah I suppose" Mason replied. "By the way, are coming to Mystic Falls anytime soon?" He asked.

"In fact I am. I got a writing assignment and I've going there on Monday. I have no idea how long I'll be there though." Elena answered truthfully.

"What a coincidence, I have a flight booked for Monday as well. I believe we might even have the same flight." Mason stated. "If it is, I am more than happy to give you a lift home or where ever you are heading to. My car is in the parking lot of the airport," He said.

"Nah it's okay. I can book a cab. I wouldn't like to intrude." Elena said smiling at him.

"No, no! It's completely okay for me. Your house is on my way anyways. No biggie!" The light brown haired man replied while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, in that case… I'll accept, " Elena replied. "See you on the parking lot then. I'll be there as soon as I manage to get my luggage from the baggage reclaim," Elena said as she started to leave.

"Yeah, see you, Elena!" Mason said turning around and walking away from her.

"_Maybe this won't be that bad after all"_ Elena thought herself. She had always liked Mason because he was so easy to talk to and, well, he wasn't that bad looking either.

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><p>Later on Elena had arrived to her apartment, had a shower and ordered some Chinese for dinner even though she didn't feel like eating. She was thinking about her home, parents, Damon, her old friends. She felt a tear rolling down her cheek as she closed her eyes. She wiped it away and walked to the bedroom to get an old shoebox from her closet. She returned to the living room and dropped the box to the table. Slowly she opened it and pulled out few pictures, which had been trapped there for years. In the first one she saw her old friend Stefan and his girlfriend Lexi. They had gotten married few years back in Vegas. Elena was sure that it was Lexi's idea. Elena dropped the photo to the table and looked at the next one. It was a photo of Bonnie, Caroline and herself. It was taken on the football field two weeks before their graduation party. Elena smiled as she remembered the day. Bonnie had finally admitted that she went out with Jeremy, Elena's cousin who was adopted by Elena's parents after his own parents got into an accident and passed away. The third photo was a bit blurred but it was a picture of Tyler, Jeremy, Stefan and Matt on the football field after winning the championship. The last picture was a bit torn from one of the corners. It was taken by Caroline. She had sneaked in as Elena and Damon were having a dinner at the old Salvatore boarding house. She dropped the photo quickly to the box as the memories flooded back to her mind. It had been five years but she still wasn't over him. That's when her eyes found a little chain from the box. She thought she had lost the necklace but there it was. She picked it up and dropped it to her palm. It was a simple silver chain with a small blue lapis lazuli hanging from it. Elena tried to hold back her tears but she wasn't strong enough. She cried herself to sleep and dreamed of the day she got the necklace.<p>

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><p>"<em>DON'T LOOK!" Damon yelled as he covered Elena's eyes with his hands. "Keep your pretty eyes shut. I have a present for you! Happy 18th birthday sweetie!" He said as he gathered her hair to the right side of her face. His long fingers caressed her neck as he clasped the necklace around her neck. Damon placed his hands to her arms and led her to a mirror. "You can open your eyes" He said grinning like a little boy. Elena opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was as blue as Damon's eyes and made her skin glow.<em>

"_Wow, thank you! It is perfect!" Elena thanked and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend giving him a small kiss. "This too much though. Chocolate would've been enough" She said laughing as Damon kissed the tip of her nose._

"_No, only best for my princess." Damon said smiling at her. "I love you, Elena" he said with a loving tone._

"_I love you too. I always will" Elena replied smiling at her boyfriend._

Elena jolted up as the dream ended. Her eyes felt puffy from crying and the necklace had dropped to the carpet. She picked it up and dropped it to the box and put the photos back in to he box and carried it to the closed. She slipped into her bed not bothering to change her clothes. As soon as her head hit the pillow she drifted into restless sleep.

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><p><strong>AN**

This chapter was a bit boring, but it's important for the storyline. During the story I'll explain more about Elena and Damon's history and what came in between them.

Oh and I want to thank you guys! It was so lovely to see how many views and subscribers this story got, big hug to everyone who did so. It made me really happy to see that someone actually likes this story. :)

**xx**


	3. Go home Monday

**Chapter 3: Go home Monday**

〜〜 Go home Monday 〜〜

Monday came soon. Elena had her and Charlie's things packed and in Julie's grey Volkswagen Golf, which was currently speeding to the airport. Elena was nervous because she hadn't told anyone about her return to Mystic Fall except for her parents. She was nervous to see Matt, Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy, Stefan, Lexi… and Damon. Of course. Her heart twisted at the thought of him. His messy black hair and as blue eyes as the necklace she had on. She had no idea why she had decided to wear it. Maybe it was some sort of rebellious move to prove that she was over him. To show _him_ that the necklace meant nothing to her when in reality the necklace and the memories saved to that one piece of jewelry meant everything to her. Well, at least they used to.

"…And then Christian pulled out the box and… Lena?" Julie said. "Are you okay?" Elena raised her glance from her lap and wrapped her fingers around the simple rock.

"I'm great, just a bit worried to go home after all these years"

"I understand. I remember when I went to college and I never visited my parents and when I finally got home after, I don't even know… 2 years? It was beyond awkward! My mum didn't even recognize me because I used to have blond hair and I had dyed it red with golden highlights with semi-permanent dye and…" Julie rambled. It was one of the things Elena liked and hated about her. She was talking all the time. Elena was okay with just sitting quiet listening to her, but she always explained every single unnecessary detail she could think of. "…Yeah and I also wore a pair of silly flip flops and I had gotten my nose pierced."

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><p>After few hours Elena was sitting at gate 32C and waiting for boarding. She went through her bag and found a book she had brought with her, Pride and prejudice, one of her all time favorites. Couple minutes later she heard someone clear his or her throat and then noticed a familiar head pop into her view.<p>

"Elena! You survived through the crazy traffic!" Mason laughed as he sat down next to her, casually slipping his arm on the back of her chair. Elena felt a bit awkward but just smiled politely at the man.

"Yeah I did. I had my friend Julie to drive me here this morning. She's great at finding secret shortcuts nobody uses nowadays. It didn't take that long to get here, to be honest," Elena replied to the man next to her with a smile.

"Sounds wonderful." Mason said as returned her smile. "Oh look what we have here!" He said suddenly as he noticed the carrier box on another side of Elena. Mason reached over her and poked his index finger into the box. The cat hissed and caused him to pull his finger back. Elena looked a bit surprised at Charlie's reaction.

"Well that was really not like him at all" Elena said as she tried to pat her cat through the door. Charlie purred and licked her finger. Elena furrowed her brows and got her hand out of the box. "Maybe he's nervous because of the rush" Elena suggested and mentally thanked the cat for scaring Mason. The hiss had made him drop his arm from the back of the chair and sit further from her.

"I'm going to get some coffee from Starbucks. Want some?" Mason asked Elena as he stood up and took few steps from her.

"Sure, Caramel Frappuccino would be perfect" She replied politely. "_Maybe he isn't _that _bad after all…" _Elena thought to herself.

"I'll be back in a second"

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><p>After few hours the plane had took off and Elena was sitting by the window on the 5th row. Thank god Mason was sitting on the other side of the plane. She had gotten fed up with his flirting and suggestive comments on everything. She grabbed the book she had in her bag and ordered a cup of tea and some chocolate from the airhostess with a huge fake smile on her face. After few more minutes after finishing her small chocolate bar and tea Elena felt her eyes shut as she pulled a blanket over her small frame and fell asleep to the sounds of the motors and the noises of the kids behind her seat.<p>

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><p>Elena woke up as the plane started to lose height rapidly. The speakers went off and the pilot asked everyone to place their bags under the seat in front of them and fasten their seatbelts. It was time to land. Elena did as asked and soon enough the plane landed and Elena found herself from the small parking lot waiting for Mason. It didn't take long for him to show up with his big black suitcase.<p>

"Your chariot is waiting" Mason said as he found the car key from the pocket of his coat and headed to his big, black SUV.

"Nice car!" Elena said as she put her luggage into the trunk. Mason smiled thanking her and climbed to the drivers seat.

"Off we go!" Mason said as he started the engine. "First stop, The Gilberts' house."

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><p>After a rather long and awkward drive Elena saw her house and Mason stopped to the driveway of Elena's old home, helping Elena with her stuff. She thanked him and walked into the house after promising to meet him at The Grill on Tuesday morning.<p>

"Mum, dad, I am here" Elena called from the doorway. She saw Isobel rush from the living room holding her arms open.

"'Lena! It's so good to see you sweetie!" Isobel yelled happily as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"It's nice to see you too, mum" Elena replied dryly stepping away from her grip. Isobel's face fell for a second but soon she had her fake smile plastered on her face again.

"Elena?" She heard her father call from the kitchen.

"Yeah I am here," Elena answered taking off her jacket and hanging it to the coat hanger. John entered the hall and saw his daughter smiling slightly at him. John gave her a simple hi and went back to the kitchen. Elena just shrugged and carried her luggage to her old room upstairs after letting Charlie out of the box.

She opened the door and saw that everything was just the way she had left them. Only thing changed was the thin layer of dust covering every surface of he room. She walked to her bed and placed the suitcase down and fell to her old bed. It felt so soft and cozy, like she had never left. Charlie followed her into the room and curled by Elena and fell asleep. Elena stood up and grabbed her messenger bag from the corner of the room and took out a pen and a notebook. It was finally the time to start writing down the known trivia of the restaurant and planning the questions for Damon.

Surprisingly Elena slept very well that night. She woke up around 7am and went downstairs to have cereals and juice for breakfast and then out for a run. This time she decided just run for a mile and then shower and go meet Mason at The Grill. She went through the little details on her papers after the shower and finally ended up to The Grill, the legendary place in Mystic Falls she knew too well.

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><p>Elena stepped into the Grill and spotted Mason by the bar drinking something. She walked to him giving him a friendly peck to each cheek and sat down to the free bar stool next to him. They chatted about the changes of Mystic Falls Elena had seen on her way there and there was loads of them. New houses behind every corner and old houses had been ripped down. She was so focused on listening to Mason that she didn't look around the bar close enough. She didn't notice the man sitting in the darkest corner table, drinking his bourbon from a small tumbler and putting on his black leather jacket.<p>

Damon Salvatore saw her right away. It didn't take long until he recognized the beautiful brunette he had missed for so long. He felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was there, so close, but with somebody else. "_What should I do?" _he asked himself as he stood up and made his way out of the bar. He gave a last look at her and that's the same exact moment she decided to check the time from the clock over the door. Their eyes locked and Elena let out a small gasp and stood up as Damon pushed the door open and stepped into the cold weather, leaving her shocked behind him.

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><p><strong><em>AN_**

I was supposed to post this earlier but I absolutely had no time for that. Now I am off school for the holidays so I'll try to write more.

On another note I want to thank you guys for the likes and subscribes as well as the review I've gotten. THANK YOU!

xx


	4. Everybody hurts

〜〜 Everybody hurts 〜〜

Damon felt the cold wind brush the dark hair from his face after leaving The Grill. He had waited for this moment to come, to see Elena after all these years and demand an explanation for her sudden departure. He didn't have the heart though. He had thought that after the years he had lived would make him strong enough to confront people but apparently it wasn't enough. Well, at least it wasn't enough when it came to Elena. He reached his blue Camaro unlocking its door and speeding down the road to the empty Salvatore boarding house he lived in all by himself nowadays.

Elena sat back down as soon as the door after Damon shut down. It felt like someone had ripped her heart from her chest and stepped on. She exhaled deeply and that made Mason look really confused.

"You okay?" he asked Elena who had sunk down to the barstool.

"No"

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Later. Lets just keep the drinks coming"

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><p>It was only 1pm and Elena was drunk. She had crossed the line hours ago and Mason was sure that she's going to have an alcohol poisoning soon if she kept it up. He had dragged her from the bar and took her back to her house after making sure that the house was empty. He didn't want Isobel to start worry about her daughter. Mason tugged Elena into her bed and left the house. On the way back to his car he saw an old "friend" of his, rival or arc enemy would sound better though. It was Damon Salvatore, the one person with the bad boy charm to match Mason's.<p>

"Why are you here at this house?" Damon spat out, not bothering to greet him.

"None of your business" Mason replied heading to his SUV opening the driver's door.

"Oh, I believe it is" Damon answered slamming the door shut again. "What did you do to Elena?"

"Now you care? Elena told me everything! How you were fucking that girl next door…" Mason yelled pointing to a small white house on their right side "and then skipped town for weeks before her graduation few years back!"

"She was drunk. I've never done such things" Damon answered taking a small step back.

"Do not lie to me Salvatore. Stay away from Elena. She needs someone who won't hurt her like you did. It's better for her if you just skipped town again and left her alone."

Damon looked at the man in front of him with his blue eyes burning. "Get the fuck out of here!" he yelled as he pushed Mason to his car and walked away. Mason got into the SUV and muttered _dick_ under his breath after starting the engine.

Damon had walked to the Gilbert's garden. He was standing under the window of Elena's room just like few years ago. Those days he would've climbed to the tree by the house and jumped to the roof and then got into her room from the unlocked window. _The Salvatore gate _as Elena used to call her window. He glanced once to the window and then took off. He needed to get his mind off of Elena.

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><p>After Mason left her house Elena had jumped up. She wasn't that drunk as she looked. She had needed a way to get away from Mason and playing drunk seemed like the best option. She had to admit that he was quite charming and handsome, but something in him made her grimace. She walked to her window and saw Mason yelling at someone. She got really curious and decided to find out more about this fight. Mason was throwing his arms angrily around and then got pushed to his car. Elena gasped covering her mouth with her hand. The man who Mason argued with turned around and started to make his way to the house. Elena pulled the curtains over her window and peeked out carefully. It was Damon! He looked like he was deep in thought. He looked almost sad. She thought that she had seen desperation and disbelief on his face but it faded as soon as he glanced to the window. Elena pulled away from the window and hoped that he wouldn't see her. He didn't and then he just left leaving the shocked Elena by the window. Elena stayed there still for a while and then burst into tears and fell to the floor sobbing.<p>

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><p>Next morning Elena felt fresh and determined. She had decided to call Damon and arrange a strictly professional meeting for them this afternoon. She had her hair pulled into a bun on the top of her head and she was wearing a knee length dark purple skirt, white button up blouse and a matching jacket with black heels. He put on the lapis lazuli necklace and took a deep breath. "<em>You can do it, Elena," <em>She thought as she grabbed her phone from her bed and dialed the number she used to have on speed dial.

"Who's this?" She heard a groggy male voice answer.

"Hello, this is Elena Gilbert. I am writing a story for my magazine about restaurants and I got told to contact you, Mr Salvatore. I was hoping if we could meet up today and talk. I would be delighted to write an article on your restaurant," she told him trying to sound as formal as possible. She closed her eyes and bit her lip trying to remain calm.

"Erm… what?" Damon answered sitting up from the bed trying to make only a little noise and not to wake up the short, blond girl he had hooked up with last night. He gathered his clothes from the wooden floor of the girl's apartment and started to get dressed up. Elena sighed.

"We need to meet because I don't want to get myself fired! It's not like I picked this job or anything, you just told Rachel to fuck off and now I am here stuck with this job," Elena answered angrily pulling her bun down, which made her long brown hair fall down her back. She covered her mouth with her palm and looked terrified. She hadn't planned to act this way or say those things. On the other side of the phone line Damon stopped on his tracks. He stood up straight and let the shirt fall from his hand.

"Yes," Damon replied dryly. "At seven at the boarding house. You know where it is" Damon replied hanging up on her. Elena stared at the phone. She threw it to her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. This was so not what she had planned to do.

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><p><strong>AN**

Thank you for your reviews and just to clear up some facts, no one is supernatural in this story. I was supposed to write this all supernatural but then I just kind of dropped it. I think I'll save for a different story I've been planning a bit.

I am not sure when I'll be posting the next chapter because here where I live we have major problems with electricity because of storms. The electricity should be working on Thursday but I am not sure if that's true. I hope that you understand that and don't get mad at me if it takes some time to update. This chapter is also quite short, but at least I got the story started.

thank you for reading

xx


	5. Listen to your heart

~~Listen to your heart~~

Damon Salvatore had left Christine's, the one-night stands, apartment and was rushing to his car. He had to get home fast and then to the restaurant. He had no time to waste. He had to get his job done and then clean up the boarding house, just to make sure that Elena writes a nice story about him. He didn't want to read about his poor personal hygiene on what it comes to his home or how lazy he seems to be. He just wanted to avoid all of the awkward ex boyfriend clichés that could pop into journalist's mind. He ran to the parking lot jumping into his car and speeding towards Mystic Falls.

After a short drive, which felt like hours, he reached the boarding house, took a quick shower, changed his messy clubbing clothes to clean ones and headed to his restaurant. He always wanted his employs to come work on time so he tried his best to make it in time, he didn't want to look a hypocrite in their eyes. He pulled over the restaurant just in time.

"Anna?" Damon questioned as he stepped into the building. The restaurant was tastefully decorated. It had dark red walls with lots of old pictures hanging from the walls, the dim lighting made the Italian restaurant seem darker but warmer at the same time. The chairs and tables were dark wood with golden decorations and over every table hung a small sized golden chandelier with real looking fake candles. Damon noticed the fresh flowers on every table. "Anna?" He called again.

A short girl with long, curly brown hair jumped from the kitchen. "Oh hey, Damon!" She answered pulling her hair up into a ponytail. She was a new waitress at the restaurant but she was really good at her job. She loved her job and the customers and co-workers loved her.

"Good morning, Anna. I have huge news for you. Today I am meeting a journalist who is writing an article about our restaurant. I think that she'll come over to see the restaurant tomorrow and I was hoping if you could serve her. You seem like the best option. Vicky gets a bit weird sometimes and Kenneth isn't any better." Damon replied leaning to the wooden reception desk.

"Of course I'll do that! Thank you for trusting me" Anna replied and gave him a beautiful smile. Damon had always liked Anna. She was always so cheerful and reliable. One of the best employs to hope for! Damon returned her smile and walked into his office to do some paperwork.

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><p>Elena Gilbert was pacing in her bedroom rubbing her forehead. She was losing her mind. This morning she had it all planned but now after the phone call she had to rearrange everything. She plopped down to her bed and took Charlie from her pillow and lifted him to her chest. Elena sighed and wrapped her arms around the cat. "Oh Charlie, what should I do?"<p>

Few moments later Elena stood up finding herself even more nervous. She sighed and left her room. It was time to go meet up with the old friends. She went to the bathroom and combed her long hair and changed into more comfortable outfit: dark blue skinny jeans, white band t-shirt and a black hoodie. She wrapped few of her old silver necklaces around her neck and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. She put on black Nike sneakers and left the house.

* * *

><p>About an hour later Elena was sitting at the Grill laughing with her best friends. Bonnie and Caroline had some spare time to meet up with Elena. Her friends looked more beautiful than ever. Bonnie's dark brown curls reached almost her waist and were highlighted with light brown making her curls look absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a black floral dress with a leather jacket and black high heels. Caroline had cut her blonde hair shorter and had it up in a bun on top of her head. She was wearing a pair of light jean shorts and a light pink halter-top and white sneakers. They were going through all the main gossips they had missed during the times they hadn't seen each other. Of course they had been calling each other but it was never the same as gossip face-to-face while having a cup of cappuccino.<p>

"…Then the police car came and took him away. I would have never guessed that he was the one who did the robbery. He was the nice kid after all…" Caroline said spinning a spoon in her mug.

"That was so unexpected! When I heard about that, my jaws dropped. I thought that Caroline was making this stuff up! Obviously she wasn't. But hey Elena, have you got something on your mind you want to share?" Bonnie asked sweeping her hair behind her shoulder.

"No, nothing particular. I just came here to get my work done. To be honest…" Elena answered slowly looking down at her hands. "I am a bit nervous, really nervous in fact. I've avoided him, Damon, all these years and now I am supposed to act all professional around him. He invited me to the boarding house! I can't go there," Elena continued placing her mug down to the table.

"You have to. And if I remember right you never listened to Damon's side of the story… Maybe…" Bonnie answered not being able to finish her sentence.

"No. I know what I saw, I know what my mother saw. It was enough. He lied to me, he cheated on me, there is no way that I'll let that man into my life again. He has caused me so much misery." Elena replied angrily.

"But Elena… He isn't like that anymore. He has changed. I've seen it and I bet that another people have noticed it as well" Caroline said as Bonnie nodded her head in agreement.

"He has changed so, so, so much." Bonnie confirmed. "I think that you should act as professional as possible while interviewing him but after that… You can get up close and personal with him. Just be yourself and please, let him explain if he offers you an explanation. I think that he deserves a chance, Elena. Listen to your heart" Bonnie continued smiling reassuringly.

"Umm, I guess." Elena muttered looking a bit taken back. "Fine, I'll let him talk but I will not ask him about anything unless he brings the topic up himself.

"To dropping grudges!" Caroline declared holding up her mug. Bonnie and Elena let out a laugh and joined Caroline's action.

"To dropping grudges" They said in unison and smiled at each other smiling widely.

"Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a bit! Do not touch my coffee!" Bonnie warned as she left the table. "I'll be watching you!

Bonnie hurried behind the corner and reached for her phone. She flicked through her contact list and picked a number. She had to wait a while until a man answered.

"I did what you told me to. It's your first and last chance to win her over. Do not blow this, Salvatore. You definitely aren't my favorite person, but I hope that you get things sorted out wit her. Elena needs you and misses you. She doesn't see it herself yet, but I can see it and you'll see it if you give her some time."

"Thank you, Bonnie. I own you. I hope that this works and she lets me to explain everything," Damon replied to Bonnie.

"I hope so too"

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I got the electricity and internet back and I am so grateful for that. I was in a slight panic because I wasn't sure when I would be able to update this story. But now it's done and it's time for me to start planning the next chapter.

Just like in every Author's note I want to thank you for reading and reviewing this story. It makes me happy to see how many of you bothers to read this story.

xx


	6. Tension

~~ Tension ~~

Damon Salvatore paced in his office. He had received a phone call from Bonnie just moments ago. He had asked her to talk to Elena because he was sure that the girl would listen to her. She was her best friend, for god's sake! He sat down by his desk to an antique chair he had brought from the boarding house and pulled one of the drawers open. He took out a small, black box he had kept unseen for years. He swept the dust off it and opened the lid carefully. Bright sparkles filled the room, covering every surface with coloured dots as the light hit the box's content in right angle. It was a thin, silver bracelet with small white diamonds and lapis lazuli's gemstones imbedded to it. There was Elena's name engraved to the massive lock. He had bought it at the same time as the necklace he had already given to Elena. Damon closed the box again and dropped it back to the drawer. He stood up and went to check how the employs were doing in the kitchen and dining room.

* * *

><p>Elena got into her father's car and headed to the house she practically lived in few years ago. After a short drive, which felt like hours, she checked her hair and makeup from the rear-view mirror before stepping out to the gravel driveway. She pulled down her skirt and smoothed the wrinkles from it. She took her bag from the car and let out a sigh. She felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding hard in her chest. Her legs carried her slowly to the front door of the boarding house and soon after that her small fist knocked to the door. She shivered as the door opened. She was standing face to face with him, face to face with Damon Salvatore.<p>

Elena raised her glance from the floor to meet his gorgeous blue eyes. His eyes were the first thing she had noticed when she first met him the day he had moved to Mystic Falls with his family. His eyes were even bluer than she remembered, but they looked sadder than she had ever seen.

"Hello" Elena said disappointed at her poor first words to him.

"Hey" Damon answered stepping away from the doorway, motioning for her to step in. "Come on in."

Elena entered the house and smiled reservedly to the man in front of her. Damon sensed the awkwardness of the situation and so did Elena. He mentally slapped himself. He was normally the chatty one, the one who kept up the conversation until everything had been discussed through. Damon left the hall and motioned towards the living room. Elena followed him and soon sat down to a large black armchair by the cracking fireplace. Damon sat down to the other side of the fireplace, just in front of her seat.

"So…" Elena said brushing her dark hair from her face behind her ear. Damon smiled slightly as he remembered how she used to do that when she was nervous or too dumbstruck to find words. "I have few questions I would like to ask you and then I'll write the story based on your answers. I would also like to visit the restaurant some day soon to get some pictures and my own perspective on the restaurant. Does that sound reasonable to you?" Elena asked before starting to unpack her notebook and pen from her bag.

"Very. Are we doing this like 20 questions? You know, asking questions from each other until either one of us reveals something big and extremely personal and that leads to…" Damon began unable to stop himself.

"This is completely professional situation and I do not appreciate that tone at all, Mr Salvatore" Elena replied. She felt her cheeks turn crimson as Damon's words progressed to her mind. She felt uncomfortable but she couldn't deny that part of her wanted Damon to finish that sentence. Damn his perfect looks and velvety voice, which now echoed in her head. She cleared her throat a little too loudly and made her best to sound as professional as possible in a situation like this. "This is the first question…"

* * *

><p>After a long while Elena had gone through her rather long list of questions about the restaurant and even few about Damon's personal life. Elena thanked Damon for his time and was leaving until he stepped in between of her and the door.<p>

"Would you like to have something to drink? It's been a long while and hydrating is important and…" Damon started to ramble. Elena cut him off for the hundredth time.

"Actually… I would like that. Do you have any diet coke?"

"I have Zero, if that's okay."

"It is, thank you." Elena replied as she followed him into the wide cozy looking kitchen. She took a seat by the massive dark wooden table and waited until Damon poured her a drink.

"Ice?"

"Sure."

Damon walked to the Elena and passed her another one of the glasses and sat to the other side of the table.

"Are we still being strictly professional?" Damon asked after sipping his cold drink.

"No, I got everything. I'm off duty right now."

"Good! I was getting quite fed up with your super professional behavior. Can I ask you something?"

"You already did… But yeah, ask me whatever is on your mind," Elena replied sipping her Coke.

"I… I just want to… Why… Why did you leave?" Damon asked placing his glass down to the table. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and continued: "You never returned my calls or answered my e-mails. You forced me to give up on you."

"I…" Elena started glancing down to the table. "Are you kidding me? Do you still claim that you're innocent and did not cheat on me with some random girl?" Elena continued angrily pushing herself up.

"What? Of course I am innocent! Who the hell told you that I was cheating on you? I would never cheat on a girl I love." Damon stood up and turned his back to Elena, who looked rather shocked. "I think you should leave. We'll arrange the restaurant visit later."

"But Damon…"

"Just leave, Elena. It's better if you left. I'll call you tomorrow if I have time. " Damon replied turning around. The physical distance between wasn't that long because Elena had stepped closer to the man, but the emotional distance felt like miles. She could sense the pain and anger in the air between them. Elena picked up her bag and walked away. She could feel the tears starting to fall, making her eye makeup smear down her face. She wiped the trail of tears away with her fingers and left the house stepping to the chilly evening.

Damon stood still in the kitchen. He could see Elena leave by the way her car's lights filled the room. He took a deep breath and started to make his way to his bedroom on the second floor. "_Way to go, you fucked up, Salvatore."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN_**

_My internet hasn't worked properly for days so I couldn't update sooner. I am sorry!_

_I want to thank for the comments and new readers :)_

_xx_


	7. Clumsy little heart

**Chapter 7: Clumsy little heart**

~~ Clumsy little heart ~~

Elena wiped away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks as she was driving frantically around the dark roads of her old hometown. She pulled over to a familiar driveway and sprinted over the lawn, not bothering to lock the doors of the car. She was sure that no one would dare to steal a car from the mayor's yard. She reached the door and assaulted the Lockwood's doorbell. She kept pressing the doorbell non-stop until she heard someone come answer the door. The heavy door opened and she saw Tyler Lockwood standing in the doorway.

"It's great to see you Elena, but what the fuck are you doing?" He asked staring at the old friend in front of him. "Have you been crying?" He asked his facial expression softening a bit.

"Is Caroline here?" Elena asked wiping the tears away once again. "I really, really need to talk to her right now."

"She's upstairs… I'll go get her, make yourself comfortable and she'll be down in a minute." Tyler answered stepping away from the door and letting Elena in before closing the front door. Tyler left upstairs and Elena headed to the Lockwood's glorious living room. Her eyes scanned the room. It had changed so much since the last time she had been in there. The old cream coloured walls were now covered with old and quite expensive looking red wallpaper and the heavy chandelier, which had controlled the room was nowhere to be seen. Now it was replaced with small spotlights all over the high ceiling.

"Elena? What happened?" Caroline asked worriedly as she ran to her wrapping her arms around her sobbing best friend.

"I don't know! He made me leave and he didn't do it or he did. I don't know! I've been living in a lie!" Elena sobbed to her shoulder.

"Elena, breathe! Let's sit down to the couch and you should take a deep breath," Caroline told her as she pushed them both down to a couch next to them. Elena exhaled slowly and tried to cool down. It didn't help and she burst down in tears once again. "Shh, calm down, it's going to be okay," Caroline shushed stroking Elena's back slowly up and down. "Just take a deep breath and tell me everything when you're ready."

In the next half an hour Elena told everything that had happened to her and the blonde girl sitting next to her listened carefully her every word. Caroline's expressions changed from angry to comforting and finally to shocked. She gave Elena a tight hug after she finished her story.

"Oh Elena," Caroline said still hugging her best friend again. "If you want you can stay here for the night. I'll keep you company and we can watch films and have ice cream. I am sure that Tyler will survive one night without me around."

"That sounds nice," Elena admitted sniffing and smiling lightly. It felt so much nicer now after she had been able to share everything with Caroline.

"Yay!" Caroline shrieked jumping up from the sofa. "I'll go get a pajama for you, few movies and some food" She added leaving the room. Elena couldn't help but smile wider through her tears. Caroline always knew how to make people smile and Elena's situation wasn't an exception.

* * *

><p>In the boarding house Damon couldn't sleep. He had been tossing and turning in his bed for hours, tangling his sheets completely. He had tried everything from counting sheep to thinking about chemistry with no luck. Somehow Elena found her way into his mind over and over again. He sighed and turned around once again, wrapping his arms around a spare pillow. He buried his face to the pillow drying to drown the scent that had been lingering in his nose for a long time, the scent of Elena's perfume. With Elena's scent still in his system he got up and walked to his office on the first floor to finish some paperwork, maybe that would help him to relax a bit.<p>

* * *

><p>In the Lockwood manor Caroline and Elena had finished their second movie. Elena had cheered up a lot and didn't feel as bad as when she had rushed to the house. Caroline's cure for broken hearts and confused situations worked like a charm as time passed and Elena started to feel sleepy and relaxed.<p>

"Do you want to go to bed?" Caroline asked sounding a bit disappointed as she noticed Elena's sleepy eyes.

"Do you want to watch third film?" Elena asked smirking.

"Well, duh!" Caroline laughed.

"The Notebook it is then," Elena smiled as she plopped the disk into the DVD-player and hit play.

Both of the girls had fallen asleep somewhere during The Notebook. It was barely 10am and Tyler was sneaking to the kitchen right next to his sleeping fiancée. Caroline opened her eyes just in time to catch Tyler trying to kiss her forehead.

"Trying a steal a kiss, huh?" She asked sleepily from the man in front if her.

"You know it, wifey" Tyler replied pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Caroline let out a quiet giggle and grabbed Tyler's arm. He tilted his head slightly and lowered himself to her level on the couch. "What happened last night?" He asked from Caroline glancing over at the sleeping Elena on another couch.

"Don't worry about that. I have it under control. I'll explain it later when everything is fine again… I missed you last night" Caroline replied wrapping her arm around him.

"Oh I believe I missed you more… The bed feels empty without you in there," Tyler smiled and lifted Caroline a bit from the couch holding her in his arms and giving her a hungry kiss. Caroline returned the passionate kiss wrapping both of her arms around his neck, playing with his hair.

"Enough with the PDA! Leave the room or something." Elena muttered from the couch forcing Tyler and Caroline to break apart from their passionate moment.

"Nice cockblock, Gilbert" Caroline called her arms still wrapped around Tyler's neck.

"You don't even have a cock," Tyler laughed standing up and leaving to the kitchen. "Talking about roosters… and hens… I'll make some omelets for breakfast."

Elena sat up smiling at Tyler: "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Damon had fallen asleep somewhere around 4am to his couch in the office. He had woken up several times during the night and finally ended up to his own bedroom from the office. It was now 9am and he decided that it was the time for him to get up. It was Friday, so he didn't have to go to the restaurant. One of the awesome perks of being an entrepreneur and have his own company was that he was the one deciding the working hours. Damon stretched his arms yawning and left to bathroom.<p>

After washing his face Damon glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes and his normally blue eyes looked almost grey, completely colourless. He grabbed a towel and tapped his face dry and started to brush his teeth. Every time he had fallen asleep he had seen her in his dreams, some of the dreams were recaps of the previous night's events, some were memories from years ago and few were purely fictional horrors including everything from aliens to zombies. He felt so bad for not explaining everything to Elena like he had planned. Why the hell did he have to throw her out like that? He could've just asked her about the misunderstanding and maybe even patch up their relationship but now it would be almost impossible after yesterday. Damon dropped the toothbrush to its place and walked to the kitchen to have something to eat. As he reached the kitchen, he saw something white on the floor by the kitchen table. He moved closer to see that it was a folded paper. He picked it up, unfolding it carefully and started to read it. It was written in feminine handwriting and by the looks of it, it had to be a diary entry. He checked the date and found out that it was five years old. His eyes scanned the paper until he saw his name mentioned few times. He started reading the paper again, this time processing every word in his mind, as he knew where the paper had come from.

_Dear diary,_

_Today has been horrible. Yesterday was perfect as you know, but today I found out something I should never have. Damon has been cheating on me! I can't understand why. At first I thought that mother was lying when she said that she had seen him with another girl. According to mother they had looked close and happy… And then they had walked into some shop hand in hand._

Damon read the text over and over again. It had been Isobel! She had always disliked him but just months before Elena's departure she had started to like him. Back then Damon considered it as a great thing but now… Now when he finally saw the whole picture and the pieces started to fit together. He grabbed his phone from the counter and dialled Bonnie's number.

* * *

><p>Bonnie had woken up at 8am and had done everything from watching morning TV and eating a heavy breakfast. Jeremy was out of town on a business trip and Bonnie was bored out of her mind. She decided to go out for a fun to burn some extra calories and to get some fresh air. She was running in the town center as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She stopped on her tracks slowing down hear panting and answered after checking who it was.<p>

"What is it?" Bonnie asked stretching her left calf. "Don't tell me you blew it…" Damon stayed quiet on the other line for a moment too long. "I am not helping you again." Bonnie said about to hang up on him.

"Wait Bonnie! This isn't what you think! We talked, it was going nicely but then she asked about the past and I told her everything and then I got mad at her and kind of told her that I love her…"

"You what?" Bonnie yelled standing up straight.

"Yeah… But lets move on, there's more to this story. I don't know if you still think that I cheated on Elena, which I did not do. It was Isobel's imagination! I found a paper from the floor and Elena must've dropped it last night from her bag or something. I think that it is part of her diary."

"That makes sense." Bonnie replied thinking about Isobel and Damon's relationships. As soon as Elena and Damon had broken up Isobel hadn't stayed in touch with him at all. She didn't greet him when she saw him somewhere. It was like he had disappeared from her eyes; it was like after the day Isobel had found out about Damon and Elena's romance. "What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea, Bonnie. My head feels empty," Damon answered sighing.

"You know what! I'll come over and help you with plotting. I am the second best person in this town to make plans, after Caroline of course. I could try to get he involved if you want," Bonnie offered.

"Not a chance! She isn't a big fan of mine and you know that she tells absolutely everything to Elena. We can't get her involved. It's like kissing goodbye for the secrecy."

"I guess you're right," Bonnie answered. "I'll be there in 15 minutes." She continued before ending the phone call and starting to run again, this time to the boarding house.

* * *

><p>"I personally think that…" Caroline started as she was munching her omelet in the Lockwood's kitchen. She gulped down a mouthful and continued. "…You should go back there and make him talk. Do what ever it takes to make him talk about it" Caroline was rather pleased with herself. She was good at helping with problems and she knew that. Empathy and being social were her best traits. She had written that even to her résumé.<p>

"I don't know. I mean, I need to talk to him, I realize that but I still can't figure out how."

"I am sure you'll find a way when you see him. It will go all naturally, I promise, Elena."

"Naturally? Yeah right."

"Have a little fate in you! He won't bite and I bet I will if you don't talk to him soon," Caroline replied making a supposedly scary expression but ended up looking like a squirrel. Elena smiled at the blonde in front of her and nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll do it as soon as possible, maybe even today" Elena replied standing up. "Thank you for letting me crash here."

"No problem! You're welcomed here anytime, Elena," Tyler answered by the fridge. Elena smiled at the couple and left the house and headed to the car. She decided to go see Damon right away.

* * *

><p>"You told me that you're the master plotter in this town!" Damon whined throwing his head back.<p>

"I didn't, I said I was the second best," Bonnie called writing down some words to a notebook Damon had given her few moments ago.

"Well, then this town has to be full of bad plotters."

"You are making me question myself. It's not that simple for me to offer you help, but if it makes Elena happy I am glad to help," Bonnie replied underlining few words and continuing to write down sentences. "Can I take a shower?" Bonnie asked as she finished the plan. "I came here running as you may have noticed and I am sweaty as you may have noticed too."

"It was you? I thought there was a dead opossum under the house or something. Sorry, my bad!" Damon said raising his hands up. "There's towels on the top self in the bathroom upstairs, the one next to Stefan's old room."

"Thank you" Bonnie replied shoving the paper to him as she left the living room. Damon laughed a bit and started to read the paper Bonnie had filled with text. He was so into reading it that he didn't hear a car pull onto the driveway. He soon heard a knock from the door though. He left the paper to the coffee table and went to see whom it was. As the door slid open she saw Elena behind the door. Her hair was a bit messy and she still had on the same clothes as yesterday.

"I am sorry, I should've believed you yesterd…" Elena began as she was interrupted by a female voice.

"Damon! Do you have any shower gel for ladies?" The voice called and Bonnie appeared to the door only wearing a towel, her wet hair tangled on her shoulders. Elena's eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth opened but no words came out.

"This is not what it looks like!" Damon called stepping in between of the girls.

"First you cheat on me and then you make my best friend cheat on my brother with you! What is wrong with you?" Elena yelled as she turned around and walked angrily to her car.

"Elena!" Bonnie yelled terrified from the doorway as Damon tried to catch Elena. He wasn't fast enough and Elena managed to get into her car and leave. Damon turned around clenching his fists. Bonnie covered her mouth and felt a tear fall down her cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

So here it is, the new chapter!

Thank you for lovely reviews and based on them I tried my best to write a longer chapter and I'll try to do that in future too. I hope that this chapter is long enough for your like.

Thank you all for reviews, alerts and favourites. They make me really happy!

/ thank you bellax0xchristina for pointing out that I had uploaded a wrong chapter for this chapter. It was because one night I did some spell checking and editing with this story and apparently got confused with my chapter names.

xx


	8. Fuel to the fire

~~ Fuel to the fire ~~

The situation Elena had just witnessed played nonstop in her mind. How could Bonnie do this to Jeremy and how would she give into him. He was the lying scumbag who had hurt her so much years ago and he will always be one, at least to her. Elena questioned her sanity, what had gotten into to her because she was on her way to accept Damon apology and about to let him explain aka lie to her again. "_What if it was Bonnie then too? What if he had cheated on me with Bonnie too?" _Thoughts swirled and circled in Elena's head, until she knew what she needed, a rebound, something to patch the hole in her heart with. She took her phone from her bag and swept through her contacts list. She found a familiar name and pressed 'call' with no hesitation. Soon a deep male voice answered. She could hear him smirk on another side of the line.

"What's up Elena?" Mason Lockwood asked obviously smiling as he noticed the caller ID.

* * *

><p>"She is talking with someone else. I can't get through. Maybe I should try again a bit later." Bonnie said worriedly as she dropped her phone to the couch. She covered her face with her hands and felt Damon stroke her back.<p>

"Finish your shower. I'll try to reach her, okay?" Damon said to the girl next to him.

"Okay," Bonnie replied. She stood up and left the room leaving to upstairs. She had no intend to argue with him anymore, not with anyone to be honest. She wanted every single misunderstanding to clear up and that people would finally make up. As she stepped into the shower she wished that she'd wake up from this nightmare sooner or later. Sooner would be better though.

* * *

><p>"I have to admit that I was rather surprised when you called me, miss Gilbert. I thought that you had had enough of me for a lifetime." Mason laughed as he motioned Elena to sit down to an armchair in his hotel room. Elena tried her best not to grimace at the thought, which popped into her mind. She had definitely had enough of him but she somehow wanted his company right now. Maybe it was the opposites that attracted, like the wise people say, or just the fact that Mason and Damon hated each other so much.<p>

"I could never have enough of you," Elena smirked biting her lower lip and twirling a lock of her hair between her fingertips. She had no idea why she was doing that, being all flirty and seductive, a real femme fatale. Coming to his place had felt like a good idea moments ago but now she felt extremely uncomfortable as she noticed Mason's eyes darken and his gaze become more intensive. She corrected her posture and crossed her legs sophisticatedly to get the dirty thoughts of them out of the man's mind.

"Well, that's always nice to hear from a beautiful woman," Mason replied winking as he moved slightly closer to Elena. Elena just smiled dryly and gulped, folding her arms to het chest. She considered her options: should she play along with him or run away and never come back. Her head screamed run, run, run but her body stayed still and a beautiful smile spread across her lips. "What brings you here this morning?" Mason asked tilting his head. Elena stiffened, she couldn't tell Mason about Damon and Bonnie or last night. It felt too personal to share it with her friend's uncle. With that thought she also thought how strange it was to be in Tyler's uncle's hotel room like this.

"I was just close by and I wanted to drop by and come say hello. Hello," Elena said as she stood up quickly.

"Okay? Are you okay, because you look really pale? Please sit down for a while. It won't hurt," Mason replied standing up as well looking slightly concerned.

"No, sorry I need to go. I realized that I have some errands to run. I need to go to the florist's and to the library to get this book for mother…" Elena mumbled as she left the room looking out of place. Mason's face fell shortly as the door shut and he was left to the room alone.

Elena took her phone from her bag and noticed several missed calls and even few texts. She opened the first one from Bonnie.

_It definitely wasn't what you thought. I was jogging and dropped by and asked if I could shower. Nothing happened. Come to the boarding house. –B_

She flicked open another message from Bonnie as well.

_Are you coming? Please answer your phone or come over. If you're coming come soon because I am not planning to spend entire day stuck here with Damon waiting for you. –B_

Elena opened another text after another until found a message that wasn't from Bonnie.

_Come here. We need to talk. –Damon_

Elena's heart skipped a beat as she read the on line from the screen of her phone. She had few options. One was to ignore everyone and everything, another one was to pretend nothing happened and the last one was either to call Damon or Bonnie or then go to the boarding house. Elena couldn't decide whom to call so she groaned and started to drive towards Damon's place.

* * *

><p>In minutes she reached the huge yard of the boarding house and once again she pulled over to the driveway. Damon and Bonnie noticed it right away. They both jumped up from their seats and rushed to the front door to greet Elena.<p>

"Stay back. I'll talk to her and when she has calmed down a little I will let you know. Then you'll get a chance to talk with her," Bonnie told Damon. "Now I want you to go to your room for a while and stay away from here."

"Fine…" Damon muttered walking up the stairs glancing once more over his shoulder. It wasn't normal behavior of his to take orders from someone like Bonnie or any other person either but now what Bonnie had said made perfectly sense. Elena probably needs some girly alone time with Bonnie to clear things up. To clear the mess he had caused.

"Elena! You came!" Bonnie yelled as she entered the house. Her usual slight smile was now replaced with a gloomy expression. The curly haired girl walked to her friend and studied her face. Elena forced a small smile to her lips as she noticed her worried look.

"Yeah, look, I don't want to be here right now. I just want to get all of this mess cleared up. No lies, I want the truth." Elena answered.

"Absolutely! Why don't you follow me to the living room and I'll explain everything." Bonnie told the girl next to her and motioned her to follow her and after a minute to sit down to the same chair she had been sitting on a day before.

"I pretty much explained this entire situation in my texts but now I'll tell it completely. Damon wants you back."

"What? No…" Elena said quietly standing up.

"Sit down! You want to hear this! He asked me to help him to get you believe him. He didn't cheat on you and he never will! I am positive about that. We've even found out who set it all up but we don't know her motive yet." Bonnie explained as Elena listened carefully.

"Her? Who?" Elena asked confused.

"You're so not going to like this…" Bonnie muttered as she took a deep breath. "Your mother."

"Why what?"

"She was the one who told you that he was having an affair. She hated Damon until just moments before his supposed unfaithful actions. She has to be behind this!"

"I don't know what to say…" Elena replied sifting around on her seat.

"You don't need to say anything. I will help you to find out what this is all about, and I am sure that Damon wants to help you too. This entire lie was about him after all." Bonnie said before she stood up. "I think you should go talk to Damon. He's been a wreck after yesterday. His in his bedroom, or at least I told him to go there. I believe he has something to tell you."

"I… Okay, I'll go talk to him." Elena said standing up heading to the bottom of the staircase. She turned around to see Bonnie behind her, pushing her emotionally to take the first step. Elena set her right foot to the first step and slowly climbed to the top of the stairs. She was psyching herself to walk towards his room and finally knocked to the dark wooden door.

"Damon?" She called as she stepped in. "Are you here?" Elena could hear muffled noise from the bathroom so she sat down to his bed to wait for him. It took him only a while to get out of the bathroom. Elena noticed by his scent and looks that he had just taken a shower. His dark hair was damp as well as the black V-neck he had on.

"Elena? What are you doing here? Did you finish with Bonnie?"

"Yeah. Bonnie told me to come here. She said that you have something to say." Elena answered standing up and brushing her fingers through her hair. Damon walked to the end of his bed and sat down leaning to his knees. He patted the mattress next to him trying to get Elena sit down again. She did as she was told and sat down next to him, making sure that the distance was long enough between them.

"I have to tell you once again and I will continue until you believe me. I did nothing wrong. In fact, I was planning you to move in with me. Then your mother told you that I was cheating on you and then everything went downhill from there. I don't know what I did to piss her off." Damon answered staring at his hands as if they were really interesting and unusual.

"How do you know it was my mother? I never told you?" Elena asked.

"I found this this morning and then I gathered some information with Bonnie." He said pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. Elena sifted closer as she took the folded paper from his hand. She opened it and saw it was a part of her diary.

"Where did you get this?" She asked her eyes widening.

"Found it, from the kitchen." Damon answered simply this time locking his gaze with hers. She gulped and dropped the paper to the bed.

"So, what do you think we should do to find out my mother's motive?" Elena asked sifting closer to him again a small smile forming to her lips as the nervous look faded away and was replaced with the smile. Damon returned the smile and turned to face her.

"So you believe me? Really?" Damon asked taking her hand into his.

"I do believe you but it might take me a while to get adjusted to this." Elena replied surprising as she noticed how wonderful it felt to hold his hand. He was also surprised at the fact that he hadn't moved her hand away. Elena wasn't the only one to be surprised because of her actions. Damon's smile grew even wider as he looked down to their intertwined fingers.

"I've missed this. I've missed you" Damon confessed breaking the eye contact. Elena's heart skipped a beat as she moved her free hand to his cheek turning face to her. Her brown and his blue eyes locked again, this time more passionately and affectionately.

"Me too, Damon, me too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I was supposed to wrote this longer but I felt like the chapter should end right here. Next two chapters will be a bit longer because they includes lots of plotting and revealed secrets. I haven't decided how this story will go but I think that I can manage to figure it out by just writing and writing scenes after scenes.

And like always, I want to thank you all for reading. It makes me so happy to see how many people are reading this story. It makes me want to update as soon as possible and I'll try my best to do that! School is busy as always and I barely have time to write.

xx


	9. Everything I ask for

**Chapter 9: Everything I ask for**

～～ Everything I ask for ～～

It had been a while since Elena had entered Damon's room and Bonnie was getting a bit worried. She walked to the bottom of the stairs and called them. She didn't receive any replies. She sighed and made her way up the stairs, turning left on the top to go to the Damon's room. She wasn't bothered to knock, so she just stepped in hoping she wasn't barging into something she had no interest in seeing. She saw the couple right away; they were sitting by Damon's bed on the floor messing with papers. She couldn't read the text because of the distance so she stepped closer to the two people who hadn't seen her coming to the room.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked sitting down next to Elena. She wasn't surprised to see that Elena and Damon had made up so easily. She had always considered them as a great couple and good friends.

"Making a list of reason why mother would like to break us apart. So far we have only few reasons, but none of them sounds right." Elena answered leaning to her knees while swirling a pen in her hand. Damon's eyes were fixed to the black pen on Elena's palm. He had followed every single movement she had made, every single voice she had let out… He was mesmerized by her. She left him breathless. Not so long ago this girl next to him hated his guts but now, now she was trying to forgive him. Hell, she had already forgiven him few moments ago.

"What do you say about that?" Elena asked dropping the pen down. Damon jolted and straightened his back.

"About what?" He asked rubbing the back of his head.

"Ugh, you weren't listening… Well, we think that Isobel didn't plan this herself. She had someone to help her. We need to find out who." Bonnie told him.

"Oh yeah, yeah. I think so too. We need to find out who helped her… But can we just take a small break and eat something? I suggest we go to my restaurant and have something to eat. I'm paying!" Damon suggested standing up and offering his arms to Elena who took it without hesitation and smiled at Damon. He returned the smile and held Elena's hand a bit too long. Then he let her hand go and helped Bonnie up from the floor.

20 minutes later they were at the parking lot of the restaurant. Elena and Damon went in first and were left alone for while because Bonnie had to go home change. She would be joining them in a moment since she lived near the restaurant. Damon and Elena were too into each other's company so they didn't notice the pair of eyes watching them walk into the building. Isobel took out her phone and pressed call.

"Hey Isobel! We haven't had a chat for a while! Is there something you need help with?" A dark feminine voice asked.

"I surely need your help. Damon has his hands on my daughter again. This time I think we need the plan B." Isobel said as she sat down to her car closing the door.

"Sure. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Thank you Katherine! I've always known I can trust you!"

"No problem at all." Katherine replied before hanging up. It was finally her chance to make her plan come true.

* * *

><p>In the restaurant Bonnie had joined Elena and Damon soon after they entered the building. Bonnie's former jogging outfit was now replaced by jeans and a purple striped sweatshirt, which looked really nice on her. They were sitting in the furthest booth eating pizza. Elena was mentally taking notes for her article. The restaurant seemed really nice and the waitress, Anna, was really sweet and polite. Elena couldn't avoid feeling a bit jealous as Damon talked to the petite waitress. Everything they talked about was perfectly professional and about the business, but still she couldn't help but feel a small sharp twist in her heart yet she couldn't do anything to it. There wasn't anything between Damon and her. He was free to do anything with anyone. He wasn't hers, not anymore.<p>

"This was perfect!" Bonnie said as she rubbed her now full stomach and leaned back to the booth. "I should start coming here more often." She admitted and received a pleased smile from the man across the table.

"If you did, I would be a millionaire. You surely know how to eat!" Damon teased Bonnie, who had been then first one to finish.

"Hey, hey! I am the sporty one! I can eat as mush as I want!"

"Just joking!" Damon replied playfully rising his hands up in defense. Elena felt like she had returned back home. She was having a lunch with her friends and making childish jokes about each other.

"I should go now. I have some laundry to do today and I haven't even started yet… I trust you two alone. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Bonnie said as she left the table. "Thank you for the pizza, Damon!" She called after her as she left the building.

"Do you want a tour of the restaurant now? Or do you want more interviews or take photos?" Damon asked as he stood up.

"I'd love to tour a bit and I could take few photos. I'm so glad I took my camera with me today." Elena replied getting her camera from her bag next to her. She stood up as well and followed Damon into the kitchen.

"Here's the kitchen staff; Eric, Nicola and Tom, there's two of the waiters; Jason and Anna, who you have already met and Mike is somewhere around the corner…" Damon continued as Elena took few pictures of the finished dishes, which were waiting for being taken to the tables and then Followed Damon to the back room. "Here the employs spend their breaks. We have everything here," he said as he motioned to the computer and TV by the wall and the pile of old magazines. "Now, the best room! My office!" Damon said as he made his way through few doors and corners and soon they were in his office. He switched on the lights and Elena saw the darkly decorated room completely. Damon sat to his chair by the large, massive table and laid back, swinging his legs to the table. "Make yourself at home." Damon told Elena before she sat down to the chair in front of his on the other side of the table.

"This whole place is so impressive! I could've never believe that you should achieve to create a restaurant this big in just few years." Elena told Damon, who looked quite smug.

"Why thank you!" He thanked and moved his legs down from the table. He stood up and walked to the bookshelf on the left side of the office and examined his books. Elena stood up as well and walked to his side.

"I see you still like the same books," Elena said going through the backs of the books. "The whole shelf is full of classics."

"They're ageless and sophisticated. The drama, tragedy, comedy and romance are perfectly fit together for people to read. It's such a shame when people think they're boring. In fact they are the most perfect books there is." Damon said turning to face Elena. They were standing so close that she had to tilt her face upwards to see his eyes. She smiled as she listened to his words and before they knew they were just inches apart from each other.

"Damon…" Elena whispered as she felt his arm slip around her waist. She felt all tingly and lightheaded suddenly. It was like she was a teenager once again. Damon hushed her and brought his another palm to the side of her face, slowly stroking her cheek with his thumb. He pulled her closer and started to close the distance in between them but Elena was the one to close the rest of the distance. As soon as their lips collided Elena felt complete. The unhappy feelings seemed to fade away as Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Damon didn't hesitate as he turned them around 90 degrees so she was pinned in between the bookshelf and his body. Elena let out a small noise and Damon smiled into the kiss slowly moving from her lips to her neck. Elena sighed as Damon pulled away from her neck and placed his forehead against hers. They both smiled at each other pleased.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I've wanted to do that since you came to my house yesterday." Damon confessed as she pulled her into a hug.

"Don't apologize. Kiss me." Elena replies as she pulled him back to her lips.

* * *

><p>Two hours later Elena was home. She had picked up her car from the boarding house and was now in her room typing the article rather slowly. Even though she had taken IT classes, her typing was really slow. It was hard to type when you were smiling like a moron and waiting for tomorrow to see Damon again at 5pm. They had finished the interview so Elena could send it to her boss and after that Elena would take a short break from job to relax and to spend more time with the old friends of hers. She finished up the article and sent it to Marie as well as her note about her taking a personal vacation for a while. She was sure that Marie would give her two weeks off since her article was rather good and she could write new articles if needed in Mystic Falls just as well as in her office.<p>

Elena stood up and went downstairs to get something to drink. She decided to get a glass of water and go drink in in the living room and start reading a new book. She plopped down to the sofa and picked up a random book from the coffee table and felt her relax, as she got lost into the pages full of words.

An hour passed and Elena finally put down the book. She had read to the page 110 and needed a moment's break. She stretched and went to get a glass of ice tea. She had never drank enough and decided to change that while staying in Mystic Falls. She gulped down the cool liquid and noticed an old photo by the fridge. It was of John, Isobel, Jeremy and her. It was taken on Jeremy's 13th birthday, few years after he moved in with Elena's family. She smiled at the memory of the day and how happy Jeremy had gotten when he finally got a puppy he named Asterix, after the hero from the comic books. She remembered how John had tried his best to get Jeremy to name the puppy Jackson or George, but he had failed miserably. Elena let out a little laugh and decided to spend the rest of the day making her ready for tomorrow. She grabbed the book from the coffee table and went upstairs to the bathroom to draw a bath after checking her e-mail just to see if Marie had replied her. She had and Elena was now positive that she had two weeks off. She would celebrate this by having the bath, finishing the book and then going to bed early so she wouldn't be sleepy tomorrow. She wanted to look as good as possible tomorrow. She was going to have a nice dinner with Damon after all. Everything had to be perfect. Elena stripped down in the bathroom and slowly sank to the bathtub and let the bubbles cover her body. She placed her head to the soft pillow by the bathtub and closed her eyes taking in the feeling of water and bubbles around her. She let her mind wander around and imagined what tomorrow could be like.

* * *

><p>Damon was in his office at the restaurant planning the new menu with Eric, the chef in charge of the kitchen.<p>

"I believe that's it! The new desserts sound delicious and the improved pasta sauce recipe seems great. Thank you for helping me with this," Damon thanked the chef in front if him. "I'll fax the sketch of the menu to the graphic artist and she'll send them over around Wednesday so we could start using the new list in two weeks."

"Sounds okay to me. I'll inform the rest of the staff," Eric replies as he left the office. Damon stood up and left to his house. He had lots to prepare before tomorrow and the dinner with Elena.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I am so sorry for not updating earlier. I had some sort of writer's block and lost all ideas for this story. Now I've planned and written down some twist so I'll remember them when the next block appears.

Thank you again for reading and I hope that you'll keep reading this story in future too.

xx


	10. First date

～～First date～～

Katherine Pierce was sitting on the plane and sipping a cocktail she had ordered from the cute male flight attendant just moments ago. She rose the glass at some elder woman who gave her a funny look and kicked off her high heels she had been wearing all day. It would take 4 hours to get to the airport and then an hour to get to Mystic falls and to her hotel. She smiled slightly in her thought and took another sip from the glass and leaned to her seat.

* * *

><p>It was already 2pm and Damon had gotten everything ready. He sat down to his sofa and looked really smug. He was proud of his creation. He had cleared the large dining table in the dining room and got new candles for the golden chandelier, which hanged just above the table, he had also added a candelabrum to the middle of the table and changed its candles as well. He had picked up red roses from his garden and placed them to a crystal vase by the candelabrum. He admitted that it was a cliché but the flowers looked stunning in the dark room plus they were Elena's favourite flowers. He smiled at the thought of Elena and stood up walking to the kitchen to start up the dinner. He had planned to order some food from his restaurant but decided to surprize Elena by cooking himself tonight. He started to get the ingredients from the refrigerator and placing them to the island in the middle of the room. He had decided to make bruschetta for appetizer, Cajun pasta fresca for the main dish and ice cream tiramisu for dessert. He got his mother's recipe book from the cupboard and started to go through the pages to find the right recipes before getting started.<p>

* * *

><p>Elena was once again standing by her closet, her hands on each side of her hips. She was trying to figure out what to wear. She knew Damon so she knew he was planning something fancy. That means she should wear a dress. Only if she would've thought about this she would've gotten some of her dresses from her apartment before she left. Now she had only one choice, which means going through tons of shops and spending loads of money. She sighed and decided to dial Caroline the shopaholic.<p>

* * *

><p>In about 45 minutes Elena was standing by a window of the most expensive shop Caroline had found from the mall.<p>

"The perfect dresses live here," Caroline said as she pulled Elena into the bright shop. Its walls were pale white and the only colours in the room were the neatly placed dresses on racks and mannequins by the window.

"I'm not sure about this shop Care," Elena said as she glanced at the price tag, which held way too many digits.

"Money isn't problem. Just pick something and you'll get it for free." Caroline replied picking up a red knee length dress with diamonds decorating the neckline.

"Excuse me?" Elena asked staring at her best friend.

"You surely didn't notice the name of this place didn't you?" Carolina stated laughing. "Does C.F. say anything to you? Caroline Forbes perhaps?" Caroline asked holding up another red dress from the rack.

"You own this place?" Elena asked taking in the decoration more carefully. By the register on the wall were painted C.F. in black capital letters and one of the four walls of the room was mirror which had been decorated with silver decorations.

"I do silly! Now hurry up and pick a dress or two! Which colour and length?" Caroline asked turning to her best friend.

"I don't know… And I can't accept a free dress, Caroline!" Elena said running her hand through her hair.

"Of course you accept it! If you feel bad you can return it if you want but I suggest you keep it. And for deciding the dress… We'll do that the old fashion way. Get into the fitting room Gilbert!" Caroline answered pushing Elena into the fitting room before she could open her mouth to protest. Elena let out a breath and started to undress while waiting for Caroline to come back.

Just after a moment Caroline held three dresses in her arms and gave them to Elena who was waiting in the dressing room in her underwear.

"Here! I want to see every single of those on you so step out when you're done," Caroline called from the other side of the curtain and sat down to the design chair close Elena's stall.

Elena glanced at the first dress. It was light pink and way too short. Elena sighed at pulled it on. The chiffon looked great on her and hugged her curves perfectly. The layered hem was light and looked like a cotton candy because of the net-like material in between of the layers.

"This is too short." Elena said as she stepped out of the fitting room, trying to pull the hem down.

"It's not! It looks nice and cute! Girly but sexy," Caroline explained motioning Elena to turn around. "Try on the another two though."

"Fine…"

The next dress was dark purple with lighter dots all over it and black top part. It was knee-length and had a layered hem also. She stepped out again and Caroline looked really happy.

"That dress is so beautiful on you!" She shrieked clapping her hands together.

"You think?" Elena asked straightening the hem.

"Absolutely! But you still have the last one to go!"

Elena stepped into the room once again and put on the golden 50's inspirited princess cut strapless dress. It fit perfectly to Elena's figure, making her waist look really small and her bust look fuller. As Elena stepped out of the fitting room Caroline covered her mouth with her palm.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Elena! Now we are going to get a pair of high heels for you! Change back into your own clothes and throw the dress to me, I'll wrap it up for you." Caroline said and pushed Elena into the fitting room and waited for the golden dress.

* * *

><p>One and half hours later Elena was in her bedroom surrounded by shopping bags. In one of them was the golden dress, the one she was still holding included a pair of black designer shoes Caroline had made her buy and on her drawer was necklace and earrings Caroline had borrowed to her. The earrings were simple diamond studs that were slightly yellow coloured, and the necklace was as simple as the earrings, simple golden chain and a tear shaped diamond hanging from it. Elena dropped the bag with shoes to her bed and examined the last bag on her bed and bit her lip. It was like an unwritten rule, when you went shopping for date clothes with Caroline it meant getting a set of beautiful underwear. This time Caroline had made Elena buy red and black bustier to 'keep her posture straight' according to Caroline. Elena hadn't argued with her, she was tempted to see Damon's face as he saw her wearing it. Maybe it wasn't tonight but some other night then. She bit her lip as she ran her hand over the corset and decided to wear it. Just in case.<p>

* * *

><p>Damon was proud of himself again. He had managed to create a perfect dinner and now it was time for him to get ready. He had already showered and almost dressed up. Now he was trying to decide between white and black button-up shirt. He decided to wear the black one. Damon buttoned up the shirt and checked his appearance from the mirror. He fixed his hair and stared at his shirt and decided to unbutton two buttons. He smiled at his reflection, gave his hair a final touch and made his way downstairs ready to meet Elena. He sat down to an armchair and relaxed.<p>

* * *

><p>Elena stood behind the door of the boarding house and took a deep breath. She took a mirror from her handbag and checked her dark brown makeup and curled hair. She pouted her lips and put the mirror back. She tried to relax and shrugged off her doubts for tonight and knocked the door. The door opened in seconds and revealed Damon. His eyes seemed to be even bluer than before and his hair looked just perfect. Elena froze to the doorstep and just stared at the man in front of her.<p>

"You look so beautiful, Elena," Damon said giving her a small kiss to her blushed chin. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Elena replied taking his extended arm and following him into the house. Damon helped her take off her long black coat and held his breath as he saw the dress. She looked good enough to eat on her.

"Would it be rude if I kissed you?" Damon asked gulping. Elena could see his eyes darken as he stepped closer.

"It would be rude if you didn't kiss me."

Damon closed the distance between them and gave her a gentle kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer as Elena's fingers made their way to the back of his neck. They parted and Damon looked down at the woman in his arms and gave her a small peck. She smiled at him not being able to let go of him.

"You hungry?" Damon asked still looking down at Elena.

"Yeah, a bit." She confessed using all of her will power to let go of him. Damon let go of her as well and took her hand leading her to the dining room. Elena gasped as she saw the roses and candles decorating the beautiful room. Damon led her to her place near the cracking fire. He held the chair out for her like a proper gentleman and poured some wine to her glass.

"Trying to make sure that I don't leave tonight?" Elena asked playfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Pouring me some wine so I can't drive home…"

"Oh… You don't have to drink that then."

"Oh I will." Elena replied sipping the alcohol. Both of them could feel the tension in the room but there was nothing to do about that, at least not yet.

"Appetizers are coming up!" Damon called as he left to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Katherine Pierce was sitting in the Gilbert's living room with Isobel. She was filing her nails and occasionally sipping the cocktail Isobel had gotten for her.<p>

"When do you think we should act?" Isobel asked staring at the woman in front of her. Katherine glanced at the older woman in front of her and huffed.

"As soon as possible, obviously. When we see them together I'll do an appearance and everything will be over in between them. Oh and hopefully I'll get Damon out of the picture completely. I want him to be all mine." Katherine answered smiling sweetly at Isobel who was trying not to get her hopes up. There were so many things that could go wrong.

* * *

><p>"Ahh! This tiramisu was perfect!" Elena sighed as she leaned back on her seat.<p>

"Not as perfect as the company…" Damon trailed of staring intensely into her eyes. Elena felt a slight blush creep to her cheeks. Damon reached over the table and took Elena's hand to his. "It was a pleasure to spend this evening with you." Damon said smiling at his female companion.

"It was nice to spend it with you too." Elena replied staring at his eyes. "I think I should leave…" Elena started as she let go of Damon's hand and stood up. Damon stood up as well and walked next to her.

"Please, don't. I've spent too many days, too many nights without you in my arms. I am not going to let you leave from me. Not today, not tomorrow, never. I am never letting you go." Damon said pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. "Oh and you've drank too much wine to drive…" Damon continued placing a lingering kiss to her lips.

"Mood killer," Elena muttered as she let Damon guide her to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Updated this finally! I had some sort of writer's block going on but I think I've gotten past that thanks to my brother who helped me with the plot.

Thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and subscribing. They make me happy and also make me want to update as soon as possible.


	11. Finish what you started

"Damon… Damon wake up," Elena called kissing his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her down next to him, burying his head to the pillow.

"I don't want to… Stay here and look pretty could you?" Damon asked moving his head so he was face to face with her.

"I need to go home sooner or later, lover boy." Elena answered laughing as she tried to get up from the mattress. She was wearing his button-up shirt from the night before and blushed when she saw her dress and underwear covering the floor by his bed.

"The latter would be better." Damon said pulling her down again. She sighed and laid back down facing him.

"I made breakfast." Elena stated.

"Get up, sweetheart, we have to go!" Damon replied jumping up from the bed and pulling her up with him. Elena let out a small laugh and followed him to the kitchen. "The breakfast doesn't wait! Come on!"

* * *

><p>Katherine Pierce was sitting on the bed of her hotel room. She stared at the slowly breathing lump under her blanket. The thoughts of last nigh filled her mind and she sighed. She rose from the bed and started to put on her clothes and then after that she called the room service.<p>

"Yeah, two large coffees, two bagels and a fruit plate, please." Katherine told to the person who was taking her order. She thanked the boy on the other side of the line again and hung up the phone. She sat down the small sofa close to the bed and switched on the flat screen TV on the wall and started to flick through the channels, trying to find something good enough to watch before Mason wakes up and the breakfast arrives.

15 minutes later there was a knock on the door. Katherine walked to the door and paid the man and accepted their breakfast. She grabbed another one of the coffee mugs and walked to Mason. She held the mug in front of his face trying to wake him up with the scent of coffee. She knew how much Mason loved caffeine and it didn't take long for him to open his eyes and sit up.

"Morning gorgeous," Mason whispered sleepily and took the mug from Katherine, "For me?" He asked before taking a sip.

"Yeah," Katherine stated walking away to get the tray.

"I don't want to sound idiotic but… Why did you call me last night? There has to be something you want." Mason asked as he bent to get grapes from the tray.

"There has to be a reason for me to call a sexy man over in the evening when I am alone in a big, dark hotel room with nothing to do?" Katherine asked taking a bite of her bagel.

"Kat… There is always something going on when you want to meet me. Don't try to fool me."

"Try to fool you? Why would I do that?" Katherine asked looking shocked.

"Why do you always have to answer with questions?"

"Do I really answer with questions? You seem to notice everything, don't you?"

"Okay stop that and tell me what you're up to." Mason demanded turning to the woman by his side.

"Okay, the deal is this. You want Elena, I want Damon, right?"

"How'd you…?"

"Everybody knows you're into her. Just shut up and listen to me, would you?"

* * *

><p>"This pancake is heavenly! If I died right now I'd still be the happiest person in the world," Damon stated while munching his breakfast. Elena let out a heartfelt laugh and clutched her arms around her knees tighter. She had finished her breakfast ten minutes ago, but Damon was determined to eat everything before it gets cold. Elena couldn't do anything but laugh at his childlike behaviour. He was the same as years ago.<p>

"Do you have work today?" Elena asked taking a small bite of the pancake from his plate and putting it into her mouth.

"Yes, but in the evening. My sift starts at 5pm so we have plenty of time." Damon answered kissing her cheek and standing up to carry his plate to the sink.

"Let me help…" Elena began but was stopped by Damon.

"You made the breakfast, I'll clean, okay?" He told her kissing her again. She smiled and leaned to the table watching as he started to tidy up the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Soon it was afternoon and it was time for Elena to go home. She had put on her clothes from the day before and had said goodbye to Damon. Now she was sitting in her car and pulling away from the driveway. She looked more beautiful than ever. Her brown hair was slightly messy; her make up almost gone and on her cheeks was a beautiful glow. She couldn't help but smile like a preteen after their first kiss. She was happier than in years.<p>

It took her a while to reach her parents house and as she was about to park her car she noticed a car on the driveway. She parked by the silver Mercedes. Something seemed out of place. She left the car locking the doors and rummaging her bag to find the house key. She didn't have the time to find the key before her mother had opened the door in front of her.

"Elena, what a coincidence! I was just talking about you!" Isobel chirped.

"Excuse me?" Elena began but wasn't able to complete her sentence. Her mother pushed her into the living room where she saw a tall, beautiful woman who she assumed was the owner of the car.

"Elena, I want you to meet Katherine." Isobel began. Elena stared her up and down and Katherine did the same. Katherine felt suddenly really confident. The girl wasn't that pretty after all. "I used to be her professor. She was a brilliant student! Oh and Katherine is also Damon Salvatore's fiancée."

"You, what?" Elena gasped stepping back few steps. She couldn't understand. He and she had just spent a wonderful evening and even more wonderful morning with a man who is engaged to this woman.

"It's an arranged marriage decided years ago. I'm not sure if Damon knows about that either. He never was that into his family history not to mention another family's history." Katherine replied enjoying the confusion covering Elena's face.

"I believe he doesn't know… I hope so. Is there any way to get out of this… erm… situation?" Elena asked sitting down to an armchair.

"No and what's the point in that anyway? I'm sure we'll make a lovely couple. Don't you think Isobel?" Katherine asked cheerfully glancing over at Elena's mother.

"Of course! You'll make a beautiful summer bride." Isobel answered returning the smile.

"Don't talk about the wedding yet! I haven't even told Damon about this. I'm not even sure if he remembers me that well. It has been five years already since the last time we were together." Katherine replied flipping her hair and smiling like a film star.

Elena's good mood was nowhere to be seen and her mind was full of violent and aggressive thoughts. This lady in front of her just confessed indirectly that she had been in a relationship with Damon while Elena and he were dating. "What do you mean?"

"We dated before he moved and when we met about five years ago we kind of continued from where we left it…" Katherine smiled satisfied. She was lucky to be such a great actress and her way to read people was absolutely brilliant. There was nothing people could hide from her and Elena didn't even try to. Now she only needed to manipulate Damon to confess the non-existent sexual relationship. It's a fact that they'd known each other as children and there used to be romantic feelings between them but it was ages ago and Katherine wanted it back, one way or another.

"Oh is that so?" Elena stated standing up. "I'm sorry, I am not feeling so well. Excuse me…" Elena said as she stood up picking up her bag and making her way to her room. She had to try to clear this up as soon as possible. She needed the truth.

* * *

><p>"Good day staff!" Damon called as he stepped into the restaurant. He was grinning widely and walking around like he owned the place. Well, he owns it but you get the picture. He walked to his office and sat down to his chair kicking his shoes off and placing his feet on the table.<p>

"At least on of us is in a good mood," Anna muttered as she walked past the office, carrying a pile of dirty dishes.

"Heard that!" Damon called smiling.

"I know!" Anna answered before showing up to the room. "Today's customers absolutely have no idea how to tip. This one couple ate and drank worth of a small apartment and the entire tip I got was 1.80. That was rude! Oh and there is some woman waiting to meet you."

Damon placed his feet back down and stood up. "Those were idiots. What did the woman say?"

"Nothing, she just wants to meet you. She said it's urgent."

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute," Damon replied bending down to pick up his shoes.

"Will do!" Anna answered leaving the room as fast as she got in there.

"You wanted to meet miss… Katherine? What are you doing here?" Damon asked kissing her cheek.

"Just drove past and remembered you moved here and got this restaurant. It looks marvelous!" Katherine replied smiling beautifully.

"Thank you, Kat. It's great to hear you think so. Please have a seat, I'll offer you something to drink and eat."

"You're such a gentleman," Katherine replied following Damon to a small table by the window. She sat down in front of him and flipped her hair back.

"How long has it been?" Damon began.

"Five years I think?" _Five years, 5 months and 12 days in fact_ Katherine thought but kept it unsaid. There was no point to freak him out.

"It's been so long!" Damon replied returning her smile. "How have you been?"

"Just great! Work has been keeping me busy though, so I haven't had that much spare time." She replied thanking the waitress who brought her and Damon cups of coffee. They spent the next twenty minutes talking and laughing, telling each other about the new things in their lives and remembering the old days.

* * *

><p>Elena was determined to find out the truth and got out of her car just outside Damon's restaurant. She walked to the entry but then turned around after she saw Damon and Katherine laughing by the window. Apparently Katherine must've told him about the marriage and he was pleased. They looked like a couple of a fairy tale. Elena headed back into her car and turned the radio on and drove off.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I finally managed to get something written! This chapter is really short and I am sorry for that. I've been kind of off lately because of the exam week I had. Revising instead of writing fanfiction really paid off and I did great. At least I think so.

Thank you for reading and huge thank you for you who have been patient.


	12. Closer to the edge

〜〜 Closer to the edge 〜〜

Elena picked up her phone and started to type a message. Her eyes went back and forth between the screen of the phone and the road ahead of her. She quickly sent it and drove to the boarding house. She needed to have a chat with Damon. She pulled over to the driveway and walked to the front door. She lifted up the several pots by the door and finally found the house key. He had always hid the key under the flowerpots. Elena let herself in and sat down to the living room waiting for Damon to show up sooner or later.

* * *

><p>"Yeah and the time when you and I went to the Green's and…" Katherine rambled. Damon had gotten fed up with listening to her ages ago. He didn't remember how chatty this woman was.<p>

"Yeah I remember that! But now I really need to get to work. See you later Kat!" Damon said as he stood up and walked to his office. He picked up his phone and saw one new text message. He opened it and saw it was from Elena.

"_Waiting at your place. Don't listen to Katherine. She's the one plotting with my mother. Come as soon as possible! –Elena"_

Damon got his jacket and headed out from the backdoor after leaving a short note for the possible people looking for him.

* * *

><p>"Elena?" Damon called as he entered his house. He soon saw her head poking from the living room and soon he was facing her. "Hello lover," he mumbled as he kissed her sweetly.<p>

"Hi," Elena replied smiling.

"What makes you think that it's Katherine who's plotting something?" Damon asked sitting on the arm of the armchair next to him.

"She came to my house earlier today. Apparently she used to be my mother's student and then she started to talk about this arranged marriage between the two of you… At first I believed her but it was just too ridiculous to be true. When I had the chance I left to the restaurant and I saw you chatting and then her words felt so real. You looked so happy…" Elena explained looking down at her hands.

"Hey hey, love. I don't like her. We used to be friends but she 's… She's Katherine. 15 minutes in the same room with her is enough," Damon answered laughing slightly. "Don't get jealous"

"I won't it is just confusing, you know,"

"I know, I know."

"Do you want to play a game?" Elena asked suddenly with a devilish grin.

"If it includes nudity and alcohol I am more than fine with it." Damon replied doing his legendary eye thing.

"You're impossible… And twisted." Elena replied smiling. "I was just thinking that maybe we should play along with her. See what she wants and then tell her to get the fuck out of here."

"Who's being twisted now?" Damon asked laughing. "Sounds reasonable. But before we start acting all hurt and confused…" He continued standing up and walking to Elena smirking.

"Damon…" Elena warned as he came closer step by step. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up easily starting to make his way to the stairs. Elena tried her best to make him let go of her but it was impossible. Soon she stopped fighting and found herself lying on Damon's bed, Damon hovering over her and smiling wickedly.

* * *

><p>Isobel was sitting in the kitchen of her house and sipping a cup of tea. She felt so bad. When Elena had been younger she had hated Damon because he was a bad influence on her. He was every mother's nightmare. But now… He was a good man, but there was still something bugging her. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't ready to admit that she had been wrong about Damon. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around fast, nearly spilling the tea to her lap.<p>

"Oh it's you Kat. Don't scare me like that ever again," Isobel stated holding her left hand on her heart.

"Sorry, Isobel," Katherine replied sitting down next to her and pouring herself a cup of tea as well. "I went and had a chat with Damon. He has no idea. Soon he'll be mine and your daughter will have a great man by her side. I even have a suggestion." Katherine continued as she dipped a chocolate cookie to the tea.

"You do?" Isobel asked surprised.

"Mason Lockwood. I know he's a bit old and everything, but I'm sure he'll worship Elena."

"I don't even know or want to know how you came to that conclusion but I believe you. I think he's a great man." Isobel replied. Maybe all this wasn't that bad after all.

* * *

><p>"There is one thing I need to tell you about Katherine…" Damon began as he ran his fingers through Elena's hair. She muttered something inaudible Damon couldn't quite understand in reply. "We used to date when we were little. It wasn't serious at all. It was just few innocent dates when we were about 14. When we moved here our relationship was forced to end. Not like I'm complaining or anything. I think it was necessary."<p>

"She said that five years ago you started it from where you left it… What did she mean?" Elena asked sitting up on the bed and wrapping the blanket more tightly around her.

"I have no idea. We met but there was nothing unusual in that meeting. We just talked. I think that she wants to get you worried and mad at me."

"Yeah… You're right."

"I am, as usual." Damon relied and earned a playful slap from Elena. Damon lifted his arm and Elena crawled to his side, resting her head on his chest.

* * *

><p>Next morning Elena got up early and decided to meet up with her best friends. This time they were heading to Bonnie's. Jeremy had also returned from his business trip earlier than planned so Elena had a great chance to see her brother. Elena showered, put on light blue jeans, a white blouse and black flats. She combed her hair and added some makeup, not to mention the lapis lazuli necklace she had fallen in love with again. After finishing her breakfast she climbed into her car and started the engine, heading to Bonnie and Jeremy's.<p>

The moment she reached the house she noticed that everyone else was already there. She parked her car right next to Caroline's and tried her best not to scratch the car as she got out of the car.

"Jeremy? Bonnie?" Elena called as she stepped into the house taking in all the changes and improvements of the house. The house was originally Bonnie's grandma's but after her death Bonnie had decided to fix the house. In few years Jeremy and Bonnie had done great job; they had extended the house, got a beautiful garden, which looked just like it was from a design magazine, and the new interior design was breath taking.

"Good! Now everyone's here!" Caroline called as she plopped behind the corner, her curls glowing in the morning sun.

"Elena?" Jeremy asked as he walked in front of her. "You look great!" He continued hugging his older sister.

"You too! You look taller," Elena replied smiling.

"Nah, you've just gotten shorter…" Jeremy answered receiving a playful slap from Elena.

"Stop abusing my husband!" Bonnie called as she appeared to the doorway. Elena let out a heartily laugh and followed Bonnie to the living room.

"So, how've you been sis?" Jeremy asked as he sat down next to Elena.

"Good, I've been working my ass off and now I've finally reached my limit."

"It was about the time for you to take some time off! Work sucks!"

"Says the guy who has fancy business trip and flies in first class…" Elena replied holding back a laugh. "It's great to see you," She added patting his knee. Jeremy smiled at his sister and stood up.

"I'm going to leave you girls alone and lock myself into my room. Just like the old days!" Jeremy declared as he left the room. The 3 women let out a laugh quickly got into some sweet gossips they had heard.

* * *

><p>Damon was, once again, sorting out the never-ending pile of paper work. He flipped around few sheets and managed to knock down the pile of already done cases.<p>

"Dammit!" He swore as he reached down to gather the fallen papers.

"Did your mother ever tell you it's impolite to swear?"

Damon snapped back and realized he was facing a familiar face.

"Katherine. How nice to see you again!" He lied smoothly. He didn't want Katherine to find out about his plan.

"Same here. Can I have a seat?" She asked smiling sweetly.

"Yeah of course, but I was just in middle of…" He answered as she plopped down to the chair on the other side of the table and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "…Paper work."

"You never called." Katherine stated lying to the writing table.

"Well I've been busy." Damon replied nervously playing with the papers in front of him. He had to get rid of her as soon as possible!

"With what or who?" She continued twirling a strand of heir between her fingers.

"Paper work. Did you have something particular in your mind or did you just come here because you felt like it?"

"Kind of both actually." Katherine replied sitting straight.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Lockwood party with me… I got an invitation through Isobel Gilbert and I was just wondering if you were interested in going there."

She continued smiling seductively.

"I'm not sure… I need to talk… No, I need to find out if I have time! You know what, I'll call or text you as soon as I find out, okay?"

"Sounds fair." Katherine replied as she stood up and walked to the door. "I'll leave you to finish your work. See you at the party then!"

As Katherine shut the door of his office he ran is his fingers through his hair. "_Well, that was awkward"_ he thought as he continued to play with the numbers on his papers.

* * *

><p>"Damon? Are you here?" Elena called as she entered the boarding house. She had received a strange message from Damon earlier today and she was getting a bit worried. She reached the bottom of the stairs and heard noises from upstairs. Soon Damon appeared and he was next to her in a flash.<p>

"Katherine wants me to go to the Lockwood's charity event with me. I would love to go with you but… I think it would be essential for the plan if I went with her instead." Damon said quickly.

"You think?" Elena responded feeling a little let down. She had been hoping that Damon would go with her but it was impossible. At least for now. "You should actually. I'll try to find someone to go with. I have someone in my mind already." She answered smiling a little.

"I'm so sorry it has to be like this, kitten," Damon replied as he wrapped his arms around her small frame and felt her to place her head to the crook of his neck.

"It's not your fault." Elena replied kissing his neck quickly. "She'll be gone soon and then we can be happy, okay? We'll just need to manage few more days and everything will be okay."

"I hope so," Damon replied wrapping his arms tighter around her and placing his head to her shoulder. "I really hope so, kitten."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Oh my god, she's alive!

_-le gasp-_

I am so sorry for not updating. I got terribly lazy and had the worst writer's block ever.

I hope you can still enjoy this story even though the enormous wait.

Thank you for reading this xxxxxxx


	13. Get back in my life -The final chapter-

Elena was standing once again behind a familiar door of a hotel room.

"Elena, fancy seeing you here!" Mason called as he opened the door in front of her.

"Yeah…" Elena replied. "May I come in?"

"Obviously! I always have time for a beautiful woman,"

Elena smiled slightly and stepped past Mason into the hotel room. She turned around and smiled at the man in front of her.

"You've clearly heard about Carol's party at the manor… I was just wondering if I could go there with you? If you would like to go with me?" Elena whispered and glanced up at the man in front of her.

"You don't have to ask twice," Mason replied smiling widely. "I have only one condition…" He continued smiling. Elena glanced back at the man and returned a nervous smile. "You need to look as beautiful as you look right now."

"Oh shush!" Elena laughed playfully slapping Mason's chest. "I need to get going now. I have to go home. See you at the party!"

"Oh no, no! I'll come and pick you up! I'll be outside your house at seven, okay?"

Elena turned around to face the tall man again.

"Sound's great. See you!" She replied and gave him a warm smile. She got out of the hotel room as fast as he could without looking too eager to be left alone. She got her phone from her bag and speed dialled Damon.

"I did it. What do you need me to do next?" She asked as she stepped into the elevator and leaned to its wall.

"Nothing. I'll handle the rest. Miss you…" Damon said on the other side of the line. Elena smiled at his words and responded.

"I miss you too."

* * *

><p>It was the night of the party. Elena was standing in the ballroom with Mason by her side. He had gotten them a glass of Champaign. She was trying to spot Damon and Katherine but failed miserably. She took a sip from her glass and smiled at Mason. He was looking nice in his black suit and tie. If she didn't know better… She wasn't looking that bad either. She was wearing a long dark red strapless gown Caroline had once again gave her with red heels she had gotten from her mother's closet and a pair of diamond earrings and a golden necklace with the tear shaped diamond she had once again borrowed from Caroline. Her hair was down in soft curls and swept to the other side of her head, cascading down her chest and arms. She had on a sophisticated cat eye makeup with a touch of red lipstick.<p>

"You're being awfully quiet, Elena," Mason stated as he looked at her worriedly. "Is there something wrong?" He asked concerned.

"Oh no! I was just trying to figure out who was who. Everyone has changed so much!" She responded smiling as brightly as she could. Mason's face brightened as well and he wrapped his arm around her waist and started to guide her through the crowd.

Now Elena spotted Damon. He was wearing a black suit just like the rest of the men but instead of white, his shirt was jet black and his tie was almost as black as the shirt. He couldn't help smiling at the sight of her in front of him. His mind skipped the fact that Mason practically had his hands all over her. It was just part of the act.

Katherine was standing next to Damon. Her hair was half up and half down, her makeup was dark and maybe a little overboard. She looked a little too satisfied to stand there next to Damon. Elena felt herself stiffen a little but tried to fight it because Mason would be able to feel it right away since his arms was still around her waist.

"Oh, Elena! Such a coincidence to meet you here! Katherine said as she lent her head to the side of Damon's arm. _What a bitch_, Elena thought. After all it had been Katherine who had asked her to come to this charity event.

"Yeah! Nice to meet you too and you too, Damon." Elena said as polite as possible considering her mind-set.

Elena turned her head and didn't miss the look Mason was giving Damon. He looked so smug that it sickened Elena. She could only hope that everything went as planned and time would pass quickly. She wanted, no, needed to be close to Damon. Every second she spent staring at him with Katherine felt like million stabs to her chest. Suddenly Mason cleared his throat.

"I'll go to the toilet quickly. Wait here, would you?" He said as he turned to Elena unwrapping his arm from her waist.

"Yeah, definitely!" She responded smiling at the man.

"And I'll go get you guys some more Champaign. It's free drinks for fucks sake." Damon said as he left the women alone in the middle of the room.

"So…" Elena began but was interrupted by Katherine who was looking a little too happy.

"I told him about the marriage and he was thrilled. I think he'll propose to me soon." She said her eyes sparkling. _Either this woman was bat shit crazy or she was just a damn good actress _Elena thought as she gave the woman the best fake smile she could do.

"That's wonderful!" She responded trying her best to control her anger. That was the moment when Damon reached them.

"And here's the drinks…" He began and gave Katherine the other glass. The band stopped playing for few seconds and soon a familiar waltz echoed beautifully from the walls. Damon smiled and turned back to Katherine. "Kat…" He began seeing her face brighten up already. "Could you hold this for me?" He asked as he gave her the glass meant for Elena. Katherine gave him a funny look and took the glass hesitating a little. "Thank you." Damon said and walked to Elena. "May I have this dance?" He asked holding his hand for her. She blushed and looked straight into his eyes.

"Yes, yes you may." She responded smiling before he led her in the midst of the dancing couples. Katherine stayed back holding the glasses and boiling with anger.

"What's going on and where´s Elena?" Mason asked as he reached Katherine. She just gave him a look and handed him the other glass and nodded towards the dance floor where the secret lovers were dancing together.

* * *

><p>"She thinks you'll marry her." Elena said as he swirled around the room with Damon.<p>

"Jesus… She's mad." He responded shaking his head. "Maybe this is a good thing… I have a new plan figured out. A better one."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked furrowing her brows.

"Just watch." Damon said as he glanced at Katherine and Mason who were nowhere to be seen. He dipped Elena lightly and gave her a soft kiss. Elena giggled and pressed her head to his chest as he lifted her back up. "You look gorgeous." He stated staring down at the woman in his arms.

"Thank you." Elena thanked blushing. She never was the one to accept compliments with a straight face.

"I think it's time." Damon said as he released Elena from his grip. "I can't wait any longer." He took a hold of Elena's hand and walked her to Mason and Katherine.

"I have something I need to do. Just wait, okay?" He said smiling at Katherine. She returned her smile sweetly but as he turned his back to her it was replaced with a smug look meant for Elena. Elena just rolled her eyes and walked next to Mason.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, could I have your attention, please?" Damon requested as he walked up to the stage. The crowd quieted down rather quickly and Damon smiled at Elena. "I've trying to figure out how to do this and what to say but I'm happy to admit that I've finally figured it out. He said and he could see Elena look really confused and Katherine beaming looking like a mad person. He cleared his throat and continued. "In this room here's a woman I'd give my life for. Every time I see her, her smile makes my days better and her laugh is like music to my ears. I spent five years without her in my life and there's no way I'll let that happen again. Not again." After saying that he glanced at Elena whose expression was really hard to read. For being a journalist she was a little too clueless. "I just want to say that even though the distance, the longing, my love for her never ended. It kept growing and growing until I couldn't handle it anymore."<p>

Everyone in the room was quiet and staring at Damon. Some of them had their mouths open. It was so unnatural for the Mystic Fall's own playboy say such things in front of an audience.

"Just to cut this short I want to say what I've wanted to say many, many times during the past five years. I love you. I. Love. You." Damon said staring straight into Elena's eyes. "It has always been you and it will never be anyone else." Elena stared around her confusedly and could see Katherine staring daggers at her. Elena blushed and turned her glance back to the stage and the man she loved.

"Elena Gilbert, will you officially forgive me for giving up on you?" He asked stepping down to the floor and making his way to her.

"I will." She responded smiling through the tears sliding on her cheeks. "I will." With that Damon dropped the microphone and wrapped his arms around her and pressed his head on top of hers.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Everyone heard as Caroline panicked and screamed from somewhere and started to clap her hands furiously together. Soon many of the people joined in and soon the only ones not clapping were Mason, Katherine and Isobel. After a while Isobel felt a tear slide down her cheek. She realised how irrational she had been and joined the clapping. She had been young once too. She knew her parents hadn't approved John but she had fought. But she hadn't made the fight fair for Elena and she regretted it so much.

Katherine and Mason were staring the couple expressionlessly. Katherine took a hold of Mason's hand and started to pull him out of the room looking really offended. Some part in her had thought that he was talking about her. She'd figured it out soon enough and surely wasn't happy about it.

Damon let Elena slip away from his arms and smiled at her. She was still tearing up. The room had quieted down and the band had started to play again. The people were starting to occupy the dance floor as Elena felt Damon pull her hand and soon they were out back in the fancy garden of the Lockwoods.

"I want to give you this." Damon said as he pulled a small box from his pocket. "It's not a lot but still." He said opening the box and showing her the bracelet he had kept hidden all those years.

"It's gorgeous…" Elena responded as she started to tear up again. All this romantic fuss was too much for her. She had never imagined experiencing anything like that in her life. Damon grabbed her hand and locket the bracelet around her wrist never letting go of her hand. Elena leaned closer and closed the distance between their lips and kissed him lovingly. This definitely wasn't what she came to Mystic Falls for. It was way better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Hello! It's been a long while but now I finally got this chapter written. It's super fluffy and über romantic maybe even cliché but I'm currently happy with it. Sorry if you would've wanted some more drama in it. I was thinking that there will be only a few chapters left but I thought what the hell and decided to wrap this up as soon as possible so I could continue the other stories I'm working on. Writing a sequel to this story is a possibility but not a fact yet. I need to start planning a plot if I ever get an inspiration to start writing the journalist Elena and the restaurateur Damon.

Few days back I reread the entire story so far and fixed some typos and grammatical errors there. It took a while but I am content with the beginning. Please don't kill me if there are some stupid typos or mistakes in this chapter. I'm going to publish it right away, not making you guys wait any longer. I'll check the grammar sometime later since it's so late right now and my brain isn't working currently at all. Damn exam week and revising 24/7.

Thank you for being patient and reviewing this story. I hope you liked this as mush as I liked writing this.

Love you all.

xx

-Oona


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